Location Description:

The success of Hammer & Sickle, owned by Gene Suh of the nearby Lyndale Tap House, is simple. It’s a smart menu -- unique enough to be adventurous, but with familiar flavors and enough dollops of sour cream to woo guests. They turn out well-executed, uncomplicated, consistently good-tasting food – and quite reasonably priced to boot. This Uptown vodka bar has proved an ideal place to sample tastes from all the top performers of Eastern Europe’s comfort food portfolio: cabbage, potatoes, beets, meats, caviar, and, of course, vodka -- nearly seventy different varieties, including straight shots of house-infused vodkas. You get a complimentary shot when you order any single scoop of domestic caviar or when you pick three of the super fancy imported stuff. If you go, order like a pro: Skip the bar food standards in favor of the more real deal Russian fare. Go for straight-up vodka but try something you’ve never had before. Give yourself over to the idea that sour cream goes with absolutely everything.